


Forever

by noelleleithe



Category: As the World Turns
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-04
Updated: 2013-01-04
Packaged: 2017-11-23 13:55:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/622908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noelleleithe/pseuds/noelleleithe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luke laughed as Noah looked his way and their gazes caught and held, time stretching out like taffy around them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Forever

It was a whim, really. Well, almost. 

Eight months since Noah's sight was restored, five months since they'd worked through their issues and back to each other, one month since he'd graduated with high honors (and a standing ovation from his classmates). In another week, he and Luke would be moving from their temporary home in the guest wing of Luke's parents' house and into their new apartment together--not just a sublet this time. Two weeks after that, Noah would start work at WOAK as an assistant film editor. After all, even Spielberg had to start somewhere.

Luke was practically vibrating with excitement, pride, and love when he stopped in front of Noah in the family room and grinned up at him. "I have an idea," he said, almost laughing when he saw the combination of amusement and apprehension on his partner's face. In his eyes, his beautiful, perfect eyes.

"I'm almost afraid to ask," Noah said, but he wrapped his arms around Luke's waist automatically, as if he couldn't be that close to Luke without holding him. Because he couldn't.

"Let's get married."

Apprehension and amusement dissolved to pure shock. "What?"

Luke kept right on grinning. "Let's get married. I mean, I know we can't legally, but we already did all that court stuff last month, so the legal part isn't really the point anyway. I think we should have a wedding."

Luke probably half-expected Noah to pull out of their embrace, but he held still. "I don't ... Luke, this is kind of sudden, isn't it?"

Luke shrugged. "We're already committed to each other, Noah," he said. "After everything we've been through, I'd just like to stand up in front of our family and friends and make it official. Or semi-official, anyway. Official for us." He leaned in, lips just touching Noah's. "Noah Mayer," he murmured. "Will you marry me?"

There were benefits to having someone love you so much that there was almost nothing he could deny you. Luckily for Noah, he knew that ran both ways.

~~~~

Luke managed to talk Lily off a ledge of floral arrangements and tulle (they might be gay, but they were still men, after all) and convince her that they wanted things simple. Suits, not tuxes; no attendants; minimal flowers and candles.

The guest list was easy. Luke's family and most of their friends knew all about it within days anyway, the Oakdale gossip lines running at full-tilt as usual, so a few phone calls covered the rest. Maddie literally squealed when Luke and Noah called her, on speakerphone so they could tell her at the same time. Casey's reaction was the male equivalent: cursing a blue streak. Luke even convinced Noah to call his Aunt Ruth; he deserved to have at least one actual relative in attendance.

Location was the hardest decision. The farm was out of the question: not after Noah's first wedding. There wasn't really a good place for it at the house, even without considering Lily and Damian's wedding there, and the Lakeview had its own sets of bad memories.

Noah was the one who came up with inspiration. "How about the station?"

Luke blinked, then grinned. "WOAK?" he said.

"Sure." Noah shrugged. "There's that kind of auditorium studio they use for the talk show. It's not huge, but the wedding won't be, either. And after all, if it wasn't for the station, we might not be here at all."

Luke leaned over to kiss him. "You are brilliant," he said.

 ~~~~

They had a brief argument over rings. Luke wanted them but thought maybe they should hold out for the laws to catch up with them, save them for the "real" marriage. Noah restated the points Luke had made when he proposed in the first place, insisted that this _was_ real, no matter what the law said.

In the end, they compromised. Simple, sterling silver bands for now, with an upgrade to platinum planned for later, as celebration when their union could become legal.

The inscription was the easiest part: _Worth The Wait_.

~~~~

An hour before the ceremony, they met in the old intern office where they'd spent so much of their first summer together.

"Hi," Noah said, grinning as Luke walked in. "Nice tie."

"Thanks," Luke replied, stepping in close. "My fiancé gave it to me."

"Really? That's interesting," Noah said, hands sliding around Luke's waist. "Because my fiancé gave me mine, too."

Luke lifted one hand, cupping Noah's cheek. "He must really love you."

"Yeah," Noah said, tipping forward to touch his forehead to Luke's. "And it's a good thing, too, because I really, _really_ love him back."

Luke grinned. "You ready to do this thing?"

"More than ready."

~~~~

The ceremony itself was simple and mostly traditional. Noah asked Luke to choose the words for both of them, and Luke borrowed heavily from Emma's Book of Common Prayer, from which she'd read to him often when he was young. They weren't given away, and they didn't use an officiant. They just met up at the front of the room, in front of the gathered friends and family, and read the words that came from their hearts.

Vows promised, rings exchanged, they kissed to loud applause and a few catcalls (those mostly from Casey). Luke hid his smile in the shoulder of Noah's suit jacket for a few long seconds before taking his hand and turning to face the crowd.

"Thank you all so much for being here," he said. "Noah and I have been so lucky to have the kind of support you've all given us. We still hope for the day that the law catches up with the spirit of the people here in Oakdale and elsewhere, and we hope you won't mind a repeat of this when that happens. In the meantime, we love all of you, and we hope you'll stick around and have some cake and food so we don't have to haul all those leftovers home with us."

Light laughter ran through the gathering, and people started to stand and gather their things. Soft chatter gradually built up as everyone moved, and Noah pulled Luke closer and kissed his temple. 

"So," he murmured. "How long do think we have to hang around and schmooze before we can go get started on our non-wedding night?"

Luke grinned up at him, eyebrows lifting, tease seen and raised. "Down boy," he replied. "We've got the rest of our lives, remember?"

~~~~

Cake and punch, finger sandwiches and chocolates. Smiles and laughter, kisses and congratulations. For long minutes, they'd even forget about the plans for their private afterparty as they floated on a wave of happiness and warmth. Then their eyes would meet, from over shoulders or across the room, and they'd remember.

"I didn't expect so many gifts!" Lily smiled up at Luke, eyes sparkling with tear-blurred happiness, and Luke laughed, pulling her into a side hug.

"I didn't expect any at all," he said. "Are we supposed to, I don't know, open them now? Or take them home for later?"

Holden grinned at him over the rim of his punch cup. "You guys are pretty much writing your own rules here," he pointed out. "Whatever you want to do is probably going to be just fine with everyone."

Luke glanced over to where Noah stood with half the Hughes family in a clump before him, Kim front and center, holding his hand between both of hers. "I'd be fine with either, but I think Noah may be reaching the point of overload," he said softly. "He didn't grow up with so many people around all the time like I did, you know."

Lily followed Noah's line of sight and smiled. "He'll get used to it," she said, patting Luke's arm. "After all, he doesn't have a lot of choice any more, does he?"

Luke laughed as Noah looked his way and their gazes caught and held, time stretching out like taffy around them. It was time to go.

He started toward Noah, and the rest of their lives.

~~~~

Thirty minutes later, Luke's deft goodbye speech and Noah's much more brief but just as sincere words of thanks done, they had the gifts loaded into Luke's car and were headed back home. Luke smiled over at Noah, who still looked a little shell-shocked.

"Hey," he said, waiting for Noah to look his direction. "I love you, you know."

Noah's smile grew from a sapling into a grand oak in a matter of seconds. "I know," he said, voice cracking just slightly. "I love you, too."

~~~~

Their apartment was newly remodeled, everything shiny and untouched. They'd moved in most of their things the weekend before but decided to wait until tonight to start living there. A fresh start, together, committed to forever in the eyes of everyone who mattered.

The last of their haul in from the car, Noah locked them in and turned toward Luke, pulling their hips together like the magnets they were.

"Welcome home," he murmured against Luke's lips. And as Luke kissed him back, he felt it settle into his bones. His home was with Noah, and it always would be.

 


End file.
